Seed separator



Nov. 16, 1937. M; WEAVER 2,099,505

SEED SEPARATOR Eiled June 16, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet l Inventor (liar/v19 Waa var v By a m M My m Ai ior neys A M. WEAVER SEED SEPARATOR Nov. 16, 1937.

Filed June 16, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor Mar/vb wan er Aiiomeys Nov. 16, 1937. M. WEAVER I 25099505 SEED SEPARATOR Filed June 16, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheg s Attorneys In ventor' and Patented Nov. 16, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

My, invention relates to improvements in seed separators and the present application therefor isa continuation in part of my co-pending application for U. S. Letters Patent, Serial No. 87073 filed June 24; 1936.

The invention ,is designed with the primary purpose in view of providing an efficient inexpensive apparatus which will clean seeds without the use of sieves and by means of air blasts or currents.

. Another object of my invention is to provide means for equalizing the airblasts or currents, whereby the air is'equally distributed throughout the apparatus.

.:Other objects are also comprehended bymy invention, all of which, together with the exact nature of my. improvements will become readily apparent from thefollowing description and claims when read with reference to the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification. 7

Insaid drawings;

Figure 1 is a view in vertical transverse section of a seed separator embodying my improvements,

Figure 2 is a view in bottom plan drawn to a reduced scale,

Figure 3 is a view in transverse section taken on theline 3-3 of Figure 1 looking downwardly,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view partly in side elevation and partly in vertical section of parts of the interior mechanism presentlydescribed in detail, V

Figure 5 is a'fragmentary detail view in vertical section taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 1 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows,

, Figure 6 is a detail view in transverse section taken on the lineG-B of Figure 1, lookingdownwardly.

Describing my invention in detail, with'reference to the drawings by numerals, in the illustrated embodiment thereof the separator comprises a cylindrical casing 5, of suitable metal, open at its bottom and provided at its top with a frusto-conical neck 6, a cylindrical outlet flue 1' .arising'from said neck axially thereof, and a icowl member 8 surmounting said flue l and supported thereon by brackets 9. Extending across the bottom of the casing 5- diametrically thereof is a bar like support or beam I0 from which a U-shaped bracket I I depends in thecenter thereof all for a purpose presently seen. Within the ,neck 6 is a plurality of substantially radial arms 12 suitablyconnectedat their outer ends to the casing 5:.to incline upwardly toward the center of the casing and supporting in said center a bearing member l3.

In the axis of, the casing 5 is a vertically disposed shaft l4 having its upper end journalled in the bearing l3 and its lower end extending 5 throughthe before mentioned support I9 and journalled in a bearing boss I 5 on the before mentioned bracket II. Fast on the lower end of said shaft l4 intermediate the support [0 and the boss I5 is a drive pulley I6 for a belt connec- 1 tion to a source of power, not shown.

Within the cylinder 5, concentrically thereof, is a cylindrical structure of relatively smaller diameter, also shorter than the cylinder 5, and

comprising alower inner section l8, resting on the cross bar It), an upper enlarged outer section [9 concentric thereto, and apair of opposed tapered seed discharge chutes upon opposite sides of said structure, respectively, depending from the upper section along side the lower section to points adjacent the bottom of the latter. Stay rods 34 extending between the section l8 and casing 5 center said section in the casing. As best shown in Figure 4, said chutes 20 are formed conjointly by the upper and lower sections I9 and I8. The lower section I8 is designed to form an air tunnel 2| open at its upper and lower ends.

In the lower end of the lower section I8 is a blower fan 22 pitched to direct air upwardly through said tunnel 2i and rotatably mounted concentrically thereof in a manner presently explained.

Keyed to the shaft l4, as at 21, for rotation thereby above the upper section I9 is a concave plate-like seed distributor 28 designed under centrifugal action to throw seed upwardly and outwardly therefrom.

Intermediate the lower section l8 and the seed distributor 28 is. a cylindrical deflector 29 having a lower air deflecting end 30 of inverted coneshape extending into the lower section [8, an upper cone-shaped seed deflector end 3i extending above the upper section I9 to said distributor, and an intermediate cylindrical portion 32 of the same diameter as the lower section I8. The deflector 29 is centered relative to the sections l8 and I9 by means of an integral sleeve 33 through which the shaft [4 extends,said sleeve depending from the upper end 3| through and below the lower end 30 and into a socket ill in the support .50 ill to provide a long bearing for the shaft l4 and to support the deflector 29. 1 A set screw 33 threaded into the support It) against the socketed ably mounted on the lower end of the sleeve 33. A belt pulley 25 is rotatably mounted on the sleeve 33 by means of a bore 26 therein and operatively connected to said fan by means of a key 23. Above the deflector 29, and extending at its lower end in the upper section I9, is a conical canopy like seed deflector or baflle 35 having a lower cylindrical end 36 depending into the upper section I9, a top part 31 tapering to the bearing l3, and an axial sleeve 38 depending from the top part 31 to the distributor 28 to enclose the shaft 14 between these two points. The top part 31 of the deflector 35 extends below the distributor 28 and the lower end 36 is of the same diameter as the portion 32 of the deflector 29 and spaced slightly above the same to provide an outlet 39 therebetween.

In order to prevent whirling of the air currents from the blower fan 22, and in the tunnel 2|,the following devices are provided. 7 r 7 Fixed to the lower end of the sleeve 33, as by a set screw 49, is a circular supporting plate 41 on which a larger circular air distributor 42, of slightly'smaller diameter than the lower section 18, is mounted, said distributor including up standing radial deflector blades 43 and openings 44 between said blades. The distributor 42 is slidably adjustable on-the plateA I transversely of the section 18, into difierent set positions established by bolts 45 depending therefrom into cross shaped slots 46 in the plate 4|. The distributor 42 functions to equalize the, distribution of air entering the tunnel z l particularly by offsetting the'obstruction of the support H3, pulleys l6 and 25, and related belts. Seed is fed to the distributor 28-by way of a spout .4 inclining downwardly through the conical top 6 of the casing 5 and through the end 31 of the deflector 35-into said distributor and provided at its upper end with a seed hopper 48 and a gate valve below said hopper. V

A damper 50 is suitably mounted in the flue l for setting by a handle 51 and provided with the usual spring 52 for frictionally tensioning the same to establish the different set positions there Referring to the operation, upon-rotation of the shaft 14 air is blown through the tunnel 2| by the blower fan 22 against the bottom end 30 of the deflector 29 which deflects the air currents out- 'wa-rdly and upwardly into the upper section 19 of the described cylindrical structure from which the air blasts against the conical neck 6 of the cyliinder 5 and is thereby deflected into the'flue I and out of the latter. The-seed in the distributor 28 is thrown upwardly and outwardly against the conical top end 3'! of the deflector 35 to :fall upon the top end 3! of the deflector 2-9 and gravitate through the outlet 39 into the upper .end of the section I9. At this point, the air currents blow the foreign matter and light worthlessseed out of the section 19 to fall through the spacebetween the cylinder 5 and described cylindrical structure to the ground. The seeds, because of their weight, gravitate againstthe air currents to fall into the chutes20 from which they are discharged at the bottom thereof into bags or sacks, not shown. The .air distributor 42 may be centered in the section 18 or adjusted eccentrically thereof to equalize the .air cur-rentsasoccasion may require. As will be understood, by setting the damper [5,.the air current producedby the blower fan 22 maybe variably controlled.

The inventionwill, it is believed, be understood from the foregoing description thereof, withou further explanation.- f

upstanding cylindrical terminating short of While in the foregoing certain preferred rela tions of parts and details of construction have been described, obviously such relations and parts may be variously modified without departing from the inventive concept, and right is herein reserved to all such modifications falling within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

What I claim is:

1. A pneumatic seed separator comprising a cylindrical upstanding casing .open at its lower end and having a conical upper neck terminating in an open flue member, a bar extending'diametrically across the lower end of said casing, an structure in said casing supported on said bar axially of said casing and the neck thereof, said structure comprising a lower open-ended section form- -ing a vertical air tunnel, and a relatively larger I concentric upper section forming a separator chamber above the air tunnel open at its upper end, said Structure also including a pair of tapered seed discharge chutes-extending from the bottom of the upper section upon opposite sides of the lower section, respectively, 'a cylindrical deflector mounted in said upper section of thesame diameter as said lower section and supported above the latter concentrically thereof, said member having oppositely coned ends, the lower end extending partially into said lower section to. deflect .air therefrom obliquely and upwardly against :the innet wall of the upper section, and the upper end of said member forming a spreaderiordeflecting seeddeposited thereon against the side wall offthe upper section outwardly and downwardly, a con cave circular seed distributor rotatably mounted adjacent to the upperend of saiddeflector :memher for ejecting seed deposited therein upwardly and outwardly .under the action) .of centrifugal force, a cylindrical bafilemember mounted in .said casing concentrically thereofpabove saiddeflector member and having a lower skirt dependingin-to said upper section adjacent the said upper end of the deflector to form a-narrow :dischargeopenmg around the edge of said end for the passage of seed from-said endinto theupper section, said baflle member having an upper conical end for deflecting seed ejected from, said distributor downwardly andoutwardlmia gravity feed .device for depositing seed in said ;distributor,.means for rotating the distributor comprising a rotatably mounted shaft extending upwardly through said cylindrical structure and deflector member axial- 1 y thereof, and a blower fan rotatably mounted nthe lower end of saidair tunnel.

v 2 A pneumatic seed separator "comprising a cylindrical upstanding casing open at its lower end and having a conical upper 'necki'terminating in an open flue member, a bar extending diametrically across the lower end of said casing, an ;upstanding cylindrical structure in said casing supportedon said bar axially of said casing andtern inating short of the neck thereotjsaid structure comprising a lower open-ended section forming avertical air tunnel, and a relatively larger concentric upper section forming i a separator chamber above the air tunnel .open at its upper end, said structure also including a pair of tapered seed discharge .chutes extending-irom the bottom of the upper .section upon opposite sides of the lower section, respectively, a cylindrical deflector mounted in said upper sectionof the same diameter as said lower sectionand sup- .ported'above the latter concentrically thereof, said member having oppositely .coned ends; the lower .-.end .extending' partiallylinto said lowersew tion to deflect air therefrom obliquely and upwardly against the inner wall of the upper section, and the upper end of said member forming a spreader for deflecting seed deposited thereon against the side wall of the upper section outwardly and downwardly, a concave circular seed distributor rotatably mounted adjacent to the upper end of said deflector member for ejecting seed deposited therein upwardly and outwardly under the action of centrifugal force, a cylindrical baffle member mounted in said casing concentrically thereof above said deflector member and having a lower skirt depending into said upper section adjacent the said upper end of the deflector to form a narrow discharge opening around the edge of said end for the passage of seed from said end into the upper section, said bafile member having an upper conical end for deflecting seed ejected from said distributor downwardly and outwardly, a gravity feed device for depositing seed in said distributor, means for rotating the distributor comprising a rotatably mounted shaft extending upwardly through said cylindrical structure and deflector member axially thereof, a blower fan rotatably mounted in the lower end of the air tunnel, and an air flow straightening means in said lower section intermediate said fan and deflector member comprising a circular plate fixedly mounted concentrically of said shaft, and a circular relatively larger spider having radial blades thereon and mounted on said plate for edgewise adjustments into different set positions. I

MORRIS WEAVER. 

